Cri De Coeur ||Mikayuu||

⚜24⚜

We were in England soon enough, although Lola's inquiries of tiny peanuts were never answered, possibly from fear of asking. Ferid had to get into the driver's seat and drive us away before people began to catch on that we were on the ship.

I was expecting nothing to change as usual, except the Ringleader approached Mika and I. He tensed up, although kept an emotionless face.
"You have seen what happens after performances, I assume." He said simply. Directed towards me, of course.
"Obviously." I grumbled, clenching my nails into my palms.
"Well, since you have shown promising abilities, I will give you a gift. You will be able to join him in the cage."
"No." Mika objected before I could accept the order given, voice raised and panicked. "I don't want him to. Please." He said quietly. The Ringleader laughed. Not the kind filled with joy. A rotten laugh, with a malicious intent behind it. I hated that laugh. Mika's breath caught in his throat. I saw fear as he refused to stand down, before he swallowed harshly, breathing out deeply. Accepting whatever date was laid ahead of us.
"Do you genuinely believe that this is up to you? I don't know what your little friend has been trying to make you believe, but your opinion doesn't matter. Never has, never will." He spat, jerking Mika's wrist upwards harshly as I was about to take his hand. I could the skin changing color beneath his grip, and the silent whimper of pain Mika didn't dare give room to escape his lips told me all I needed to know. He was hurting Mika. And not just in the physical department.
It was the first time I have ever seen the Ringleader belittle Mika's very being.
And I didn't like it.

"Mika," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. His face was scrunched up in pain, his free hand pressed to his ear. My touch must have knocked him from whatever trance he was in, eyes snapping open, Crimson eyes widening. Wait, when were they red? He lowered his hand from his head, about to strike the Ringleader. I stopped him by digging my fingernails into his shoulder. The only solution in my mind, although I had no idea how it would work, seeing as this was the only time he had ever freaked out like that. Colette placed a hesitant hand on the Ringleader's shoulder.
"I'm sure Yuichiro would gladly oblige to your commands." She quietly said. The Ringleader got a look in his eyes that changed the instant she stepped into the picture. He enjoyed hurting Mika and seeing him in his broken state. He found joy in watching him snap in anger.

"She's right." I said, prying Mika's wrist from him, who was now blinking in confusion, blue eyes now back. Vampire logic. He released a disappointed sigh. Colette was visually relieved. The two left, although she made sure Mika was alright very briefly.
"Welcome to England." He muttered, glaring after the Ringleader. I was more concerned with both the way Colette acted when talking to the Ringleader and Mika's outburst of unfiltered anger.

"Mika, what was that about?" I asked as he messed around with the stage, which was basically an opera house.
"What was what about?" He asked, stomping on the floor.
"You trying to assault the Ringleader."
"Huh? When did that happen?" He asked in surprise and possibly fear.
"Five minutes ago?" I tilted my head.
"Oh. I don't remember that." He mumbled. Lola slipped on the floor behind him, which was very entertaining. She was the only one who tested the stages barefoot, so she walked into it.

Colette got more dresses, unsurprisingly. some were her usual fancy style, others more revealing. For some reason a suit was in there, which I didn't really question as she hauled the costumes away, cheeks puffed although barely visible from the large pile. "She goes all out for the European performances, if you can't tell. No idea what the suit's for, though." Mika explained as he began climbing a pillar.
"I only get a new costume every year." Lola muttered.
"That's because you don't ask for any." Mika pointed out.
"Would you?"

"Fair point."

We didn't have a rooftop to hang out in, so we decided the best solution was a window we could look out of. Mika seemed to like it more, although I was almost certain the reasoning for that was the lower chances of everyone getting beat, although I was typically the one targeted. Colette vanished at some point when it was just the members of the circus and some stage hands. Of course Ferid was gone as well, but he was understandable and we wouldn't exactly
miss his presence. Unless you were Lola, who interrupted Mika and Yuu bonding time. We got her to leave at some point, returning to watching the outside street through a single window until we were forced to return to the truck

Mika's head popped down from the ledge of his bunk, upside down features looking at mine as I read through the latest news from Boston.
"What?" I asked, watching him intently stare at me. Then I saw his legs fall over his head, his backside now facing me as his feet made a loud thud on the floor. Didn't know he could do that. He crawled under the blanket, head popping out next to mine.
"I wanna know what's been going on there, too." He mumbled, scrolling the mouse up manually before I could do it for him. I watched his serious eyes dart across the words, and as they narrowed occasionally upon reading certain articles that were either very unsettling or ridiculous. He absently bit down on his thumb nail, inching closer to me to get a better view. Halfway through, Lola slammed her IPad on her bunk. She muttered something about Chemical formulas and how they can suck her ass before picking it up and continuing. The ends of Mika's lips twitched after her profanity filled rant about Chemistry. The only sign of a smile I had ever witnessed from him. It was small and would have easily gone excused for anyone else. Sure, I have heard him smile in the way he spoke and how his eyes crinkled, but I never saw the real deal.

I didn't tease him about it like I wanted to. Instead I took the picture of the split second a smile almost blossomed across his already beautiful features, and imprinted it into my mind. Considering the events that occurred earlier, this was a milestone for his improvement. I still had to convince him that he wasn't a monster, which was extremely difficult to complete. The Ringleader seemed to have gotten him in a place far from my reach. A place only he was supposed to access. That secret place was forcefully exposed to that bastard. Something I was neither capable of or possessed the want to do.

Despite the parts of him that I desired to finally see, he was human, and needed room to breathe.

I doubted he got the chance to do so often.